The International Life Saving Federation (ILS) is an organisation for drowning prevention, water safety, lifesaving and lifesaving sports.

Definition

The International Life Saving Federation (ILS) comprises over 130 national life saving organisations/federations aiming at improving water safety, drowning prevention, water rescue, lifesaving and lifeguarding and lifesaving sport. The supreme authority of ILS is the General Assembly on which member organisations are represented. The Elective General Assembly elects a board of directors. The board of directors conducts the business of ILS between meetings of the General Assembly and is chaired by the President. The General Secretariat (Headquarters) is located in Leuven (Belgium) and houses the administration. ILS has four regional branches, in Africa, the Americas, Asia-Pacific and Europe. They initiate, supervise and coordinate regional activities. ILS commissions are composed of committees and working groups responsible for the management, development and technical aspects of each major ILS field of activity. ILS cooperates with partner organisations, governments, non-government organisations (NGOs) and sponsors to promote lifesaving worldwide.

Lifesaving sport

Lifesaving sport disciplines

As of July 2013, lifesaving sport (also known as competitive lifesaving) at the international level consists of the following disciplines – 100m Manikin Tow with Fins, 100m Obstacle Swim (Masters), 100m Rescue Medley, 200m Obstacle Swim, 200m Super Lifesaver, 4x25m Manikin Relay, 4x50m Medley Relay, 4x50m Obstacle Relay, 50m Manikin Carry, Line Throw, Simulated Emergency Response Competition (SERC), 100m Manikin Carry with Fins, Beach Flags, Beach Relay, Beach Run, Beach Sprint, Board Race, Board Relay, Board Rescue, Inflatable Rescue Boat (IRB) Rescue, IRB Rescue Tube Rescue, IRB Team Rescue, Oceanman – Oceanwoman, Oceanman Relay, Rescue Tube Race, Rescue Tube Rescue, Run Swim Run,

Surf Boat A surfboat (or surf boat) is an oar-driven boat designed to enter the ocean from the beach in heavy surf or severe waves. It is often used in lifesaving or rescue missions where the most expedient access to victims is directly from the beach. ...

Race, Surf Race,

Surf ski A surfski (or: "surf ski", "surf-ski") is a type of kayak in the kayaking "family" of paddling craft. It is generally the longest of all kayaks and is a performance oriented kayak designed for speed on open water, most commonly the ocean, altho ...

Race, Surf Ski Relay and Surf Teams Race.

Lifesaving World championships

The Lifesaving World Championships which are known as the 'Rescue' series (i.e. Rescue 2008), are organised by the ILS every two years. The World Championships consist of National Teams World Championships, Interclub Teams World Championships, Masters World Championships, Surfboats World Championships and IRB World Championships. Additional championships can include events such as March Past and Long Distance Race. The World Championships attract between 3,000 and 5,000 competitors and officials, and are conducted over a period of 12 to 14 days.

Other international events

As of July 2013, lifesaving sport (both pool and beach-surf) is included in the following international events: *The

World Games The World Games are an international multi-sport event comprising sports and sporting disciplines that are not contested in the Olympic Games. They are usually held every four years, one year after a Summer Olympic Games, over the course of 11 d ...

which are organised by the International World Games Association (IWGA) every four years in the year immediately following the

Summer Olympic Games The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The ina ...

. *The

Military World Games The Military World Games is a multi-sport event for military sportspeople, organized by the International Military Sports Council (CISM). They have been held since 1995, although championships for separate sports had been held for some years. A ...

which are organised by the International Military Sports Council (CISM) every four years, *The

World Masters Games The World Masters Games is an international multi-sport event held every four years which, in terms of competitor numbers, has developed into the largest of its kind. Governed by the International Masters Games Association (IMGA), the World Mas ...

which are sponsored by the

International Masters Games Association The World Masters Games is an international multi-sport event held every four years which, in terms of competitor numbers, has developed into the largest of its kind. Governed by the International Masters Games Association (IMGA), the World Mas ...

(IMGA) are held every four years, *The Commonwealth Lifesaving Championships which are organised by the Royal Life Saving Society Commonwealth every two years, *The Military Swimming and Lifesaving World Championships are held bi-annually by the CISM as part of the Military World Championships.

Certification

The ILS issues certificates to qualified persons who wish for international recognition for their level of training where this meets the minimum internationally recognised competencies published by ILS. As of July 2013, certificates are available for the following training levels: Junior Lifesaver, Lifesaver, Lifeguard Pool, Lifeguard Inland Open Water, Lifeguard Surf, Instructor Junior Lifesaver, Instructor Lifesaver, Instructor Pool Lifeguard, Instructor Inland Open Water Lifeguard, Instructor Surf Lifeguard,

Open Water Diver Open Water Diver (OWD) is an entry-level autonomous diver certification for recreational scuba diving. Although different agencies use different names, similar entry-level courses are offered by all recreational diving agencies and consist of a co ...

, Rescue Diver, Rescue Dive Master, Instructor 1 Rescue Dive, Instructor 2 Rescue Dive, Instructor 3 Rescue Dive, Rescue Boat Crew, Rescue Boat Driver, Jet ski Operator, AED Certificates, Instructor AED, K9 Certificate and K9 Instructor.

Recognition, affiliations and agreements

Organisations which recognise ILS as the international federation for lifesaving sport include the

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swis ...

(IOC),

SportAccord Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) is the umbrella organisation for all (Olympic and non-Olympic) international sports federations as well as organisers of multi-sports games and sport-related international association ...

, the

and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). ILS also is a member of the

Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations The Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations (ARISF) is a non-governmental, non-profit organisation constituted through and recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The ARISF's members are international sports ...

(ARISF). ILS has an agreement with the

Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques (CMAS) is an international federation that represents underwater activities in underwater sport and underwater sciences, and oversees an international system of recreational snorkel and scub ...

(CMAS) signed on 21 October 1994 regarding recognition of the ILS rescue diver and instructor certification program.

Members

ILS membership which consists of 100 national federations, includes the following organisations:

Royal Life Saving Society Australia The Royal Life Saving Society of Australia (RLSSA) is a water safety, swimming and lifesaving education organisation in Australia. RLSSA provides courses in water safety, lifesaving and resuscitation. See also *Royal Life Saving Society UK * Roy ...

Surf Life Saving Australia Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA) is an Australian not-for-profit community organisation that promotes water safety and provides surf rescue services. SLSA strives to create a safe environment on Australia's beaches and coastline through patro ...

Lifesaving Society The Royal Life Saving Society Canada, commonly known as the Lifesaving Society or LSS, is a Canadian registered charity that works to prevent water-related injuries through various programs across Canada. The Lifesaving Society is an independent ...

, Royal Life Saving Society Commonwealth, Rashtriya Life Saving Society, Türkiye Sualtı Sporları Federasyonu,

Royal Life Saving Society UK The Royal Life Saving Society UK is a drowning prevention charity founded in 1891 in the UK. It has had Royal Patronage since 1904. History The Royal Life Saving Society UK is a national charity, founded in 1891 by William Henry, with the aim of ...

Royal National Lifeboat Institution The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is the largest charity that saves lives at sea around the coasts of the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man, as well as on some inland waterways. It i ...

United States Lifesaving Association The United States Lifesaving Association is a nonprofit professional association of beach lifeguards and open water rescuers in the United States. History The United States Lifesaving Association's predecessor organization was founded in 1956 b ...

, Royal Spanish Livesaving Association () and

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...

of the US.

References

External links

International Life Saving Federation websiteILS Europe website
{{Authority control

Life Saving Lifesaving is the act involving rescue, resuscitation and first aid. It often refers to water safety and aquatic rescue; however, it could include ice rescue, flood and river rescue, swimming pool rescue and other emergency medical services. ...

Lifesaving organizations Organisations based in Flemish Brabant Surf lifesaving Underwater diving training organizations Sports organizations established in 1993 1993 establishments in Belgium